The patent publication DE 101 10 495 B4 describes a common commercial vehicle running gear. The axle body extending in transverse direction of the vehicle consists of a hollow profiled bar having a rectangular cross section. In its end regions the profiled bar is connected to stub axles serving for a rotatable support of the vehicle wheels. Two longitudinal swinging arms extending in longitudinal direction of the vehicle are screwed to the lateral ends of the axle body. In the front region, the longitudinal swinging arms are supported by rotational joints at holding consoles mounted to the vehicle chassis. First spring bases of suspension springs formed by air suspension bellows are mounted to the rear ends of the longitudinal swinging arms. The other spring legs of the air suspension bellows are supported by the vehicle chassis. Furthermore, shock absorbers are arranged on both sides between the longitudinal swinging arms and the vehicle chassis. According to DE 101 10 495 B4, the end region of the longitudinal swinging arm facing away from the rotational joint (where the first spring base of the air suspension bellow is supported) is cranked in lower direction. In this way, it is possible that the supporting location of the spring base of the air suspension bellow can be positioned in a lower position relative to the stub axle which leads to a compact design.
Further embodiments of commercial vehicle running gears with an axle body and longitudinal swinging arms are in particular known from the publications EP 1 572 476 B1, DE 197 81 757 B4 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,353 A), EP 2 567 838 A2, DE 10 2014 011 803 A1 and EP 0 940 319 B1.
WO 2005/037579 A2 discloses a flexible axle body which is fixedly screwed to a vehicle frame. Here, the axle body comprises a longitudinal sectional shape which corresponds to a lying U which extends in a vertical plane. The upper side leg of the U is fixedly screwed to the vehicle frame. The rounded base leg of the U forms a flexible suspension region. The other side leg of the U is slightly inclined in downward direction and comprises an upper cover plate as well as a lower cover plate. Stiffening plates extend between the cover plates. In the end region of the lower side leg which faces away from the base leg, the axles are supported. An air suspension bellow is interposed between the vehicle frame and the upper cover plate of the lower side leg of the U. An elastic displacement of the axles requires a bias of the air suspension bellows as well as an elastic deformation of the flexible base leg of the U. WO 2005/037579 A2 discloses both a continuous axle body designated for both vehicle sides as well as an axle body designated only for one vehicle side which in this case forms a kind of swinging longitudinal arm. For another embodiment known from WO 2005/037579 A2, the axle body does not comprise a shape which corresponds to an U in the longitudinal section but instead a shape which corresponds to a stretched Z in the longitudinal section. In this case, the upper horizontal leg of the Z is screwed to the vehicle frame whereas the axles are supported by the lower horizontal leg of the Z. In this case, the air suspension bellow is supported on the upper side of the lower horizontal leg of the Z. The flexible part is here formed by the transitional region from the upper horizontal leg of the Z to the inclined connecting region of the Z.
A generally corresponding embodiment is also known from US 2007/0145705 A1.
US 2006/0181047 A1 discloses the formation of a longitudinal swinging arm from welded metal sheets which form a partially open box-like cross section. The longitudinal swinging arms designed in this way are mounted by saddle brackets to a conventional axle body having a cylindrical geometry.
DE 10 2009 024 831 A1 discloses a compound crank rear axle wherein a longitudinal swinging arm has a box-like design with a cross section enlarging towards a transverse support. The longitudinal swinging arm is mounted to the transverse support by knot elements which couple a rear end region of the longitudinal swinging arm to the transverse support. Additionally, two wheel supports are provided at the knot elements. Also the knot elements are formed by box-like hollow bodies.
DE 10 2013 214 673 A1 discloses a longitudinal swinging arm, a transverse swinging arm or a diagonal swinging arm which is manufactured from a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material by injection molding or injection pressing. Here, reinforcing fibers embodied as carbon fibers, glass fibers or aramid fibers are used. Arms manufactured in this way comprise in a longitudinal sectional view a continuous circumferential web which is stiffened by stiffening ribs similar to a framework.
DE 195 21 874 A1 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,367 A) discloses an axle support for a rigid axle of a vehicle. Here, a four-point arm is used which comprises a two-dimensional support. The support is elastic so that a twisting of the support is possible with a relative movement of the arms resulting therefrom. The four-point arms allow pendulum movements of the vehicle axle relative to the vehicle frame directed transverse to the driving direction. A twisting of the support resulting therefrom causes return forces for reestablishing an equilibrium position of the arms.
DE 10 2015 202 085 A1 relates to a structure component which is e.g. a triangular transverse arm, a transverse arm or a compound crank rear axle. The component of the structure is a hybrid construction with one component made of metal and a reinforcing component made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material. The structure component on the one hand and the reinforcing component on the other hand comprise geometries which (in a first approximation) correspond to each other. The components are arranged in a sandwich-like configuration and connected to each other by coating or insert molding, bonding, screwing, riveting, clipsing, curling, injection-molding through the parts and the like.